


A Dance of Suns

by SilverConsular



Series: A Dance of Suns (Star Wars Trilogy) [1]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Earth girl in Star Wars, F/M, Mandalorians are cool, Secrets, What is going on?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 17:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10168529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverConsular/pseuds/SilverConsular
Summary: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…A hyperdrive malfunction landed former Jedi Initiate Ashara Dorne on the planet Earth, where she discovered a collection of discs known as Star Wars, that explain the future of the entire galaxy.Summer Montanari, a Force Sensitive individual, has unknowingly alerted the Galactic Empire of the planet’s existence. Ashara races against time to finish a prototype ship that can get her back to the galaxy. Jedi Hunters and the Empire’s top engineers work together to reach a seemingly impossible destination.Now a dark presence lurks above the planet, dangerously close to discovering Earth’s force sensitives, and the information that could potentially keep the Republic from returning forever. . . .





	1. Welcome to Normal-land

Sith Inquisitor Razim Mashow smirked to himself as his custom tie-fighter emerged from the wormhole. The Scientist had been a genius: reversing the polarity of a star caused a rupture in matter that allowed him to gain access to a network of tunnels that led to systems across the universe. Eventually the Empire could begin using this technology to conquer other galaxies, but for now…the dark side was leading him to the disturbance.

He observed the system he’d emerged in. The sun was a class Esk, not the largest, but it was impressive considering that the gravity field had roped in at least nine planets. And the third planet from the sun...he could feel the Force surrounding that planet as if it was an old friend. He could only imagine the amount of Force Sensitives there, all with potential waiting to be used. His Master would definitely find it an abundant source of energy, perhaps enough to allow him to challenge the Emperor himself.

Razim glanced at his holocommunicator, and frowned. As long as he was here, he was definitely out of range. He couldn’t send any coordinates, or report on his discovery. He would have to work individually. It was no matter, as that planet was seriously technologically inept. They would never stand a chance.

“Scout the system for potential bases near the target!” he barked into the communicator, his teeth gnashing against each other with excitement.

Yes...it was a great day for the Empire.

* * *

 _“I know that it’s important, but it’s not important to_ me!” _Summer groaned._

_Alice sighed. “Summer, you’re my best friend! This is a chance to dress up, to talk to people!”_

_“I’m an introvert!” Summer argued. “I’m fine with talking to you, but…you know I gave up on dances since that incident in middle school. I’m not going to start now!”_

_Alice was silent for a moment. “Ms. Gallwood is going to be there…” she bribed. “You could always strike up a conversation with her._

_Ms. Gallwood was Summer’s favorite teacher, and one that Summer could relate to. She was smart enough to have skipped several grades, finishing school when she was only 15. Yet she decided to become a teacher instead of something that got higher pay. Summer hoped she could become like her one day. She was sixteen already, but she was in her senior year. She could accomplish more than some of her classmates ever would think possible of._

_“I don’t know…” she started, though the idea of being able to commune with Ms. Gallwood, who was always willing to talk to her, was appealing to her._

_“You could wear your Padme Amidala replica,” Alice was smirking. “It’s fancy enough to wear to a formal event. You won’t be able to wear your headpiece, but…”_

_Summer sighed, opening her mouth to respond._

And that was how her best friend--her _best friend--_ had talked her into going to prom. With _Star Wars._ One day, she was going to get over her long term obsession so that things like this didn’t happen. But...not now. She liked it too much.

She examined herself in the mirror. She had worn her yellow Padme Amidala replica, as she had said she would. Alice had managed to wrangle her unnaturally unruly hair until it had become smooth enough to put in a bun. How she had done that, Summer had no idea. Her mother had even stepped in, and bought her a pair of high heels to wear. Summer plotted to bring a bag with flats so that she wouldn’t have sore feet by the end of the night. She’d even had to ditch her glasses for contacts, which made her feel like clawing her eyes out.

The girl in the mirror wasn’t her.

Alice came fumbling out of the bathroom with a bang.

“Mrs. Montanari was right!” she ranted excitedly. “Putting these colors together is a brilliant idea!” At least she hadn’t been dolled up as much as Alice, who wore her lavender dress and aquamarine jewelry like she was born to do it. Her friend was definitely prettier than her. No debate was necessary.

“You look great, Alice.” she said, giving a smile.

Alice beamed at her. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around.” she teased. Alice suddenly gave her a hug. “You look beautiful, my friend.”

When they pulled back, Summer stared at her.

“You seem...conflicted. Like you’re sad and happy at the same time.”

Alice’s eyes wettened. “It’s just...this is the last high school dance we get to go to! And you’re coming with me! It’s…”

“Unimaginable?”

“Yes!”

Summer smiled slightly. “I’m glad you’re happy, Alice.” She fumbled around and found a tissue. “Wipe those tears before you ruin your makeup. The dance is going to start soon, and I don’t think you have time to redo it.”

Alice scowled at her. “Right. Tease me about my makeup habits.”

Summer laughed. “You haven’t ever cared before.”

Alice hit her on the arm, but the corners of her mouth had tipped upwards.

After a short car trip, and some sappy conversation from her parents, she was staring at the entrance of the dance.

“Good luck, sweetheart.” said her mother.

Her father did his traditional “Have fun, _il mio piccolo._ ” (He had an italian background, hence the name Montanari.)*

Alice was already ahead of her (she _loved_ to dance). She hastily called out for her to wait, but she didn’t think Alice heard her. She sighed. Time to go catch a friend.

She was glad she found Alice when she did, because it appeared that in her haste to get inside, she had run into Ian Hartthorn.

“Hello, Alice.” he smirked. “As lovely as ever, I see.” his eyes ran over her figure, than over Summer’s.

“Ah, the brainy firefighter.” he repeated the dreaded nickname (while it didn’t seem that bad, its origins weren’t her brightest moment.) “Who knew you could be so…” he inhaled. “Tantalizing. Did miss Alice over here lend you perfume?”

He grasped Alice by the arm, swinging her around until she couldn’t escape.

“Let me go!” she snarled.

“I don’t think so.” he said, holding her more tightly. “It’s been so long since I kissed you, babe.” Summer signed something to her, and Alice suddenly grinned. Ian frowned.

“What did you just do?” Ian was suspicious, but was too thick to recognize that she’d just used American Sign Language.

“This!” Alice said on que, trodding on his foot.

“Agh!” Ian yelped. Alice dashed forward.

“Leave us alone.” Summer told him firmly.

“Who knew you could be so feisty.” muttered Ian, a grin coming on his face. Something told her that he was up to something. She groaned. If events kept progressing like this, another incident like the last dance would happen. This was why she didn’t want to come in the first place.

She couldn’t find Ms. Gallwood immediately when she entered the carefully decorated gym, and distractedly handed her ticket to one of the Student Council reps in front of her. She turned to Alice once they’d been admitted.

“You okay?” she asked.

Alice was a remarkably strong person, which was one of the reasons Summer thought kept them friends. “Yeah...just give me a second. Jerk ex-boyfriends, and all that.”

Ian was now harassing the McKinley twins, who didn’t seem to know any better than to flirt back at him. She felt bad for them. No one else here seemed to realize that if the Women-Belong-In-The-Kitchen charade was a physical group, Ian would be one of the leaders. It was how Alice had become such a good friend. At first they’d been enemies: it was to be expected. Alice was one of the most popular girls in the school, Summer was the school freak show. She also believed that Ian was a good guy that would respect her in a relationship. She believed he loved her, and that she loved him. Ian broke her heart, and Summer had been the one to pick up the pieces.

“Ian doesn’t understand what love is.” Summer told her. “You’ll find someone who does one day.”

Alice hugged her. “Thank you, my friend.” Her face was remarkably composed. “Now. Let’s find a dancing partner for you, shall we? You need romance just as much as I do!”

Summer turned beat red, cursing her red hair inwardly for the thousandth time. “But I-”

Alice giggled, waving over the head of the robotics club, who’d been eying them nervously. Summer groaned, but didn’t want to embarrass poor Charlie.

Halfway through the first dance, she finally spotted her. “Hey, Ms. Gallwood is over there!” she told the boy. “Do you want to go talk to her?”

He was startled at being addressed, but was able to reply. “Sure, why not? After the dance, I mean. There’s only a minute left in the song.”

She nodded. “Alright.” This was going to be a long minute, but Charlie was nice to her and deserved at least some attention. She had promised him a dance, and she was determined to always keep her promises.

As the last notes of Carrie Underwood’s voice blared out through the speakers, she and Charlie flocked over to their science teacher.

“Hello, Mister Cabell. Miss Montanari.” Ms. Gallwood greeted them with kind eyes and a smile. “What brings you here?”

“The dance.” I groan. “That dance with Charlie here was the most interesting thing that’s happened. I hate social parties.”

Charlie laughed. “Ah. I was beginning to think that I was alone in this.” He glanced at where Alice was dancing with the basketball captain. “Do you think...do you think Alice would spare me a dance?”

He was embarrassed, Summer noted. “Well, I’m sure that I can talk to her about it.”

 _That’s nice of him._ She thought. _It would be good for Alice to make at least another true friend._

“Your boredom is noted.” said Ms. Gallwood, her expression turning amused. “Though, you can accomplish many things just by being present.”

Summer grinned. There was always a lesson with Ms. Gallwood. “What will we accomplish?”

“Oh…” Ms. Gallwood gave her a smile. “You could change someone’s life. Give them a reason to stop pretending to be someone they’re not.” she nodded to some girls who were squabbling over their makeup and clothes and laughing at the athletic boys doing poses for them. “So many people, so many masks…”

She stared longingly at them.

The words were out of Summer’s mouth before she realized what she was about to say. “You want to make a difference in other people’s lives. You want to prove to other people that there is more to life than we know. You want…”

Summer never knew that Ms. Gallwood’s eyes could be so haunted when she turned back to her. “You’re sad.” she said finally. “And you’re frustrated that no one knows why.”

“How did you know that?” Ms. Gallwood finally said after electronic Micheal Jackson had sung a few verses.

Summer didn’t know what to say. “I...just thought it was the right thing to say…” She turned away, her thoughts racing. Things like that always happened, but she didn’t know why. It was so...infuriating. She abhorred not being able to understand why she felt things at certain times, why she could tell how people were feeling. Her parents had told her that she had a gift, and that she could use it for good. But it also seemed to bring up topics that were hard for people to talk about.

“E-excuse me.” she muttered to Charlie and the teacher. “I’m going to get some water.”

Ms. Gallwood looked like she wanted to say something, but thought against it.

She immediately regretted her decision when someone grabbed her arm. Perhaps it was one of Alice’s friends, or maybe Alice herself, but when she turned, she blanched.

It was Ian.

“Let go of me!” she yelled, looking around. They were in an empty hallway. No witnesses. That probably had been Ian’s plan all along.

“Now, now, sweetheart!” he smirked at her. “That’s not any way to treat your love, is it?”

“Leave. Me. Alone.” she huffed out. Ian didn’t listen. Before she knew what she was doing, there was a sound of skin against skin. Ian stumbled backwards, clutching his cheek as if it had been stung. He stared at her, launching himself forward. She rose her hands, and then…Ian was thrown backwards into the wall by some unseen force.

“W-what?” Summer muttered. She scurried forward. “Ian? Are you alright?”

He’d been knocked out. A trickle of blood oozed from under his hair. She launched herself backwards, horrified. Ian was a jerk, but she didn’t want to see him hurt like that! And somehow...she’d been the one to do it...but how?

Trembling, she stood up. “Help! Someone! Over here!”

A horde of teachers rushed out of the gym.

“Good grief, what _happened_?”

“Mr. Hartthorn, I need you to open your eyes.”

“Did you do this, Miss Montanari?”

“I-” Summer didn’t know what to say. Ms. Gallwood was out there as well, a strange look on her usually cheerful face. “I don’t…”

She couldn’t take it anymore. She turned, and ran. 


	2. Ashara

“Miss Montanari?” someone was asking for her, repeating her name over and over in a melody of sympathy and pity. She didn’t want pity. She just wanted to be left alone for a while. 

Why did she even choose to go to the stupid dance? She had just been asking for trouble. Now she had hurt someone, and she didn’t even know how she had done it. 

“Summer?” Alice was here now. “Can I come in?”

“Leave me alone!” she shouted. Her voice sounded alien when it was upset, like it was the voice of another person.

She heard a sigh. “Thank you. But it seems I will have to go in myself to talk to her.” It was Ms. Gallwood. Figures that it would be her. The closet door opened, though she was sure that she’d locked it.

“Summer.” Ms. Gallwood whispered. “You have to listen to me.” her voice was quieter than she’d thought was humanly possible. “We don’t have much time. I know what’s happening to you.”

She couldn’t believe it. No one believed her when she told people of the arcane energy that she believed surrounded her. Why would a teacher, even Ms. Gallwood, be any different? 

“Come on, we have to get you out of here. That wave you sent earlier projected it even further.”

“What...wave?” were the first words out of her mouth. She glanced at the face in the dark. Ms. Gallwood’s eyes were triumphant. Her teacher offered her a hand, which she hesitantly took. 

Alice was confused when she finally emerged. “Summer...what happened?”

“I don’t know, Alice.” Summer replied, stopping for a moment. Ms. Gallwood mouthed for her to hurry. “Excuse me, ah...Ms. Gallwood wants me to come with her.”

“Are you in trouble?”

She repeated her earlier words. “I don’t know. I-I’m sorry, but I don’t know.”

 

Razim smirked as he felt a wave of anger project itself, stronger than any of the previous disturbances he had felt while he’d been in the galaxy. Then again, that person’s constant tapping into the force had been what leaked the planet’s location to his master. If this person could be turned, they could be a powerful ally. But there was also something down there...a presence that felt older, more mature in the Force. He couldn’t grasp where he’d felt it before, but he had. 

He brought up a holo-screen, monitoring the information he received on his scanners. It seemed that the blue planet was mostly water, though not nearly as much as places such as Manaan. There were multiple climates. He smirked. Multiple climates made for a vast abundance of resources. 

The planet had little technological advancement, which made it vulnerable for when the Empire managed to get a star destroyer through the wormhole. However, isolated planets were rather creative in terms in technology. That would be a problem later on. Razim was confident, however, that it was a small advantage that would be easily squashed. 

That presence, though...that could be a problem. He would have to make his first moves before it acted.

 

Summer was confused when Ms. Gallwood led her straight past the science classroom. “Um...where are we going?”

Ms. Gallwood shook her head. “Not here. We need to speak, outside, where less people will hear us.”

Summer gaped. It wasn’t snowing like it had been the night before, but it was sure to be freezing. “At this time of year?”

Ms. Gallwood sighed, murmuring something she didn’t comprehend. “Don’t you have a coat with you?”

Summer vaguely remembered placing a sweater on one of the chairs that had been set out in the gym. “Um...sorry, not at the moment.”

“We’ll just have to manage, then.” the teacher sighed, opening the door. Timidly, Summer stepped out into the snow. This wasn’t all, though. She walked steadily away from the school for what Summer felt like was hours, though it probably had merely been minutes.

“What did you mean about you understanding what was happening...that, er-thing. Back there.”

Something was conflicting her, something that Summer couldn’t put a finger on. She wondered if she would even be told at all. She didn’t expect for it to be put so bluntly when--

“You have the Force.” Ms. Gallwood told her, striding up to a large oak tree and turning.

Summer stared, then cracked up laughing. “Oh, I see. Now you’re teasing me for being a Star Wars fanatic!”

Ms. Gallwood rose an eyebrow. A torch of amusement was hurled into her mind.

_ You have the Force.  _ Her voice whispered in her mind. Summer was no longer laughing when she heard it.

“I-I...how? They’re just stories. Star Wars isn’t real…”

“Why is it real to me, then?” Ms. Gallwood questioned. “Why was I born in the galaxy you say isn’t real?”

She turned to her teacher, confused. “It is...I can feel it! You’re telling the truth! Oh… That’s why you’re so smart! You’re from a galaxy where people are even smarter. And  _ you  _ have the Force. Do you have any idea how many Star Wars fans…” she paused, realizing she was fangirling. “Who are you-if you don’t mind me asking?”

“You don’t trust me.” Ms. Gallwood, or whoever she was, stated. 

“It’s been a strange day.” Summer wrinkled her nose. “Is Ian going to be alright?”

“Yes,” said the Star Warsian. “But I would advise you to monitor your anger a bit more. You’ve been projecting so many emotions that you’ve been tapping into your Force energy. It could alert the Empire of this planet’s existence.”

“Alert the  _ Empire _ ? But then...what time period was it when you left?”

“I’m a survivor of Order 66.” 

“Then...the Empire could find out-”

Ms. Gallwood rose a hand. “I know. I’ve thought of that.” 

“So...you survived Order 66? But...you would have been so young.”

She stiffened. “I was four.” she said bluntly. “One of the padawans managed to get me to a shuttle. But the hyperdrive was...malfunctioning. I never got that padawan’s name...”

Summer turned away. Here, Ms. Gallwood was talking about one of the most tragic events she’d ever heard about, and she was complaining about how she couldn’t control her budding Force powers. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “But...there’s more, isn’t there.”

“Yes.” the former Jedi sighed. “I’ve sensed a great number of Force sensitives on this planet, ever since I was able to get my hands on several Star Wars speculations about Force powers. Earthens have an impressive collection of Force theory for people that don’t even know what they’re talking about.”

“So, if so many people have the Force, why are you telling me?” Summer asked, attempting to maintain her composure. A part of her hoped that Ms. Gallwood was offering to train her as a Jedi, but she attempted to berate herself into squashing that hope. From what she knew of the Jedi, it wasn’t wise to expect much from them. 

Ms. Gallwood seemed almost amused at her. “Yes, perhaps one day you’ll be able to use the Force better than I...I never made it to the rank of Jedi Padawan, after all. But I doubt that your training will start now.” she crossed her arms. “I told you because I’ve been feeling disturbances in the Force, and they’ve been emanating from you.”

“ _ I’m  _ a disturbance in the  _ Force _ ?” she asked, still not quite believing what she was being told. Then again, her parents had told her that Star Wars wasn’t real when she was a little girl, much to her disappointment. It was odd to contradict something they had said was fact. 

“You’re the disturbance.” Ms. Gallwood confirmed.

Summer observed her teacher for a moment. It was all starting to make sense...her talent for empathy, for the strange accidents that always seemed to happen around her (when she was eleven, she’d hoped that a letter to Hogwarts would come, simply because she was desperate for some kind of explanation), and Ms. Gallwood’s determination to be a teacher despite the fact that some big engineering company would accept a job application from her in a heartbeat.

“Your name-it isn’t Jessica Gallwood, is it?” she asked slowly.

A grin. “No. Well, it was the name I was given here by my foster parents. My name is Ashara Dorne of the Galactic Republic.” She thought for a moment. “And no. I’m not the  _ Game of Thrones  _ Ashara.”

Summer gave her a blank look. “I don’t watch that show.”

“Alright...so you don’t know who that is. Just…forget I said anything.”  

There was a strange sound above them, like an airplane, but the sound was more magnified. Ashara Dorne looked up at the sky, her brow furrowing. “And...we don’t have much time. But I promise you, Summer Montanari, that I will do my best to save your planet.”

Summer realized for the first time that she wasn’t scared of what was happening to herself now. She was scared of the monsters in the winter sky.

 

“Are you going to be alright?” Alice asked her. Summer jumped, realizing that she was brooding.

“Yeah...I’m fine.” she replied, distracted.

“It’s just that you’ve been silent ever since your dad came to pick us up.” Alice was hesitant. With a start, Summer realized that Alice was afraid of her.

“Everything’s going to turn out the way it’s meant to.” Summer reassured her. “What happened back there with Ian is never going to happen again. I’m going to make sure of it.”

Alice turned to gaze out the window. “He deserved it,” she stated. 

“He deserved to be thrown into a wall? Get a concussion?” Summer pressed on. She probably would never be a true Jedi, like Ashara thought she’d be, but she could try. “Alice, I  _ hurt _ him. No one deserves that.”

Alice deflated. “He didn’t.”

Glad that Alice agreed, Summer turned to her father. “I’m sorry, dad.” Her father’s disappointed gaze from when he arrived to pick them up early would remain forever imprinted in her mind.

“I am glad you are taking a mature response to the situation.” he replied. “So I accept your apology. But you are still going to get a lecture from us once we arrive.”

A part of her wanted to argue, to say that it was unfair to be punished for something she couldn’t control. But the person she’d spoken to had been through much worse.

“What did Ms. Gallwood do? Do you have detention, or something?” Alice asked. 

“No...she just gave me a reprimand and told me to control my anger. Hate leads to the Dark Side, and all that.” 

She laughs. “Of course you would add that reference in.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Summer was glad she could still banter with her friend like this, even after that night.

“You’re the one dressed up as Padme Amidala.”

Her laughter faltered for a moment, before she continued with a bit of force behind it.

Padme Amidala was once a real person, she realized. She’d been betrayed, and Anakin Skywalker had turned to the dark side. It had been a fun story, but the fact that it was real was mind boggling. It had been painful to watch the end of the prequel trilogy, as much of a disappointment as those movies had been.  It was even more painful to think about the fact that she knew everything that happened to them, and that she was sitting here on earth, doing nothing.

“Did you have fun, besides the obvious downfall?” Alice asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts. 

“Hmm? Oh. Yes, Charlie is quite nice.” Slyly, she added “You’d like him.”

“You have a twinkle in your eye.” Alice observed suspiciously.

“My daughter always has a twinkle in her eye.” her father said from the front seat. 

Alice rose her eyebrows. “Really? Because I’ve only noticed it when she’s up to something.”

Summer was glad for once to get off the topic of Star Wars. “Maybe I’m always up to something…what do  _ you  _ think of Charlie?”

Alice shoved her in the shoulder. “Stop it!”

For now, Summer was glad to just be her. She had a feeling that everything was already changing, and she wanted to enjoy the most of the little time she had. 

And she was glad she chose to keep that moment as happy as she could, because the next moment, all hell broke loose.


	3. Razim Causes Trouble

They’d been able to jump out of the car a moment before it exploded. 

“Get behind me!” Summer’s father was shouting, but she was too shocked to comprehend what he was saying. 

How had they come so fast? What was she going to do? The whole planet was now in danger, and it was somehow her fault. Where was--

“Summer!” Alice was screaming. “Get down!”

She dove off the side of the road. She slid downhill a bit on the ice, but was able to stop herself. 

Her father was watching the sky in disbelief. “ _ Impossibile!  _ Summer, do you recognize that?”

Summer saw no point in denying it. “That’s a tie fighter, dad.” It further confirmed what Ashara had told her earlier. “I’m...sorry. It’s my fault that it’s here.”

“ _ Your fault? _ ” Alice thundered. “How could it be your fault? It’s probably some terrorist or a...I don’t know, enemy...person.”

“I have to get off Earth.” Summer ignored her friend, slipping further downhill. “Quick, we need to find Ms. Gallwood.”

Something hit her shoulder. “Ouch!” she yelped, spinning around. A shot had barely missed her, coming close enough to singe her hair. And her shoulder, apparently. Why couldn’t that empire just leave her hair and her shoulder alone?

“Summer!” at least her pain had brought her dad out of his stupor. 

“ _ Dad!”  _ She whipped around. “What?”

“You have to get off  _ Earth?  _ Are you out of your senses? Tell me what’s going on!” Antonio Montenari wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“We don’t have time!” she replied. “We need to find Ash-I mean, Ms. Gallwood.”

She ducked behind a tree, avoiding another round of fire.

_ Wow, Tie Fighters are loud!  _ she observed with a groan. She noticed that the fire tended to end up closer to her father and Alice than herself.

“But first, we have to escape that thing.” she stated, shaking a bit at the idea that she was suddenly up against a tie fighter.

Her father stared at her like she was crazy. “Summer, why did you say this was your fault?”

It felt like they had been standing there forever, though it was probably only a moment. She hoped her eyes could convey her message:  _ I’m scared. I need help.  _ Her father looked helpless however. She didn’t blame him. A minute ago, everything had been normal. Now, his car had been destroyed by something that wasn’t supposed to exist. 

The revelation that Star Wars was real and that she had the Force was unnerving her a bit as well. 

What could she do against that fighter, though? Her father could call the police, but they wouldn’t stand a chance. Besides, they were probably already on there way, maybe even with some larger secret government division. But she had to do something.

It was hopeless, but she barked out an order to her shocked companions. “Call the school! Get Ms. Gallwood!”

They stared at her for a moment. “My phone was lost when the car…” her father started. She started to panic, despite the fact that she knew that she shouldn’t. 

“There’s no need for that, young one.” Ashara’s voice was behind her, and Summer spun around.

“H-how?” she asked. 

“There’s no time for explanations. We have to get you all out of here. My car is back that way.” Ashara jabbed a finger behind her, then pressed something into her hand. She looked down, confused. 

Oh. The car keys. 

Something silver glinted in Ashara’s hand. Summer glanced that at spark, then grinned as she realized what it was. “Thank you.” she gave a short bow, dodging the green blasts. A pillar of blue flame was ignited, and Ashara was suddenly several meters away.

“She’s distracting them.” Summer pointed out. “Let’s go!”

“That’s Ms. Gallwood, but-but...?”

“Yes! She’s a Jedi! Now  _ let’s go! _ ” this was starting to get ridiculous. She could see the car. It was just a small dot, but they had to get there.

“Let’s run!” she waved to the others. “And will you  _ stop  _ staring at her lightsaber? You’ll have plenty of time to do that later!” She wondered if she was trying to tell that to herself as well. For an initiate, Ashara seemed quite good with the blade. She must have found a way to train here, even without her masters.

She turned, treading as fast as she dared through the snow.

“You can do this!” she yelled through the cold, not sure who she was yelling to. “Just hold on!”

In the corner of her eye, she spied Ashara as she distracted the Tie pilot--whoever it was. It took every ounce of her self-control not to stop and stare at the elegant fighting style, the way that the once-jedi was able to deflect every attack with apparent ease. Then again, there was a reason that the lightsaber was one of the coolest science fiction inventions in history. To see it come to life was breathtaking, and every Star Wars fan’s dream come true. 

Luckily, Ashara’s distraction had worked. By the time they had got to the car and hidden inside, the Tie fighter was scanning the field for its former targets. Ashara’s lightsaber had mysteriously disappeared, the Jedi with it. Sighing with relief, Summer peeped out from her hiding spot. She let out a small squeak when she found hazel eyes staring back at her with amusement. 

_ You can unlock the car, you know.  _ The thought ran through her head as if it was her own. 

“Sorry!” she whispered, clicking the button on the keys. The tie fighter was still scanning the field, but wouldn’t be for long. She was worried that the car’s interior lighting would go off, but apparently, that worry wasn’t needed. By the time they were on the road, The fighter was only a speck in the distance.

“You needn’t be so tense.” Ashara laughed. She sobered. “Besides, it is those exact emotions that are causing those disturbances.”

“I’m sorry.” Summer mumbled.

“Excuse me!” It seemed that her father had found his voice at last. “But my daughter is scaring me, you’re talking as if-as if some fairy story is real, and you’re talking to Summer like she...like she…” he glanced at Alice for help.

“Don’t look at me!” her friend said. “I knew that Summer was Star Wars-y. It was only a matter of time before she decided to break the laws of reality and prove that it’s real.”

“You seem calm about this.” Ashara observed.

Alice cringed. “Oh, no. I’m freaking out, actually. Who knew that my science teacher could kick butt and look good while doing it?”

“A Jedi does not seek-”

“Yeah, yeah, there is no  _ commotion _ , there is  _ peas _ , and all that.” Alice sighed. Summer longed to correct her, but somehow, she knew that this wasn’t the time. “I get enough of that from-”

“What’s going on?” her father demanded. “Why was that thing after us?”

“It appears that I spoke to your daughter a bit too late about this. Her sensitivity to the Force has been sending shockwaves.” Ashara sighed. “I just thought that we’d have more time.”

“My daughter has  _ the Force?” _ Antonio Montanari’s tone clearly pronounced his disbelief. Summer glanced in the rearview mirror.

“It’s true, dad.” she told him. “That thing that happened in the dance? I accidentally used the Force to push Ian away from me. I didn’t even touch him. It’s why Ms. Gallwoo- _ Ashara  _ decided to speak to me.”

“You used the Force on Ian?” Alice asked. “Cool! Maybe next time, you can Force Suggest him!”

Summer shot Alice a look, but she felt the corners of her lips betraying her amusement at the suggestion.

“So…” her dad was clearly still struggling to see exactly what was happening here. “Is my daughter safe?”

Before Ashara could respond, Summer answered him. “Of course I’m not safe, dad! But I caused these disturbances. I need to fix this as well as I can, and Ashara can help me do it.”

He was taken back by the ferocity in her voice.

“Careful, Summer,” Ashara warned. “Control your passions, or they’ll control you.”

“Has being on earth taught you nothing?” Summer asked. “Emotions...you know what, nevermind.”

She turned away. “Where are we going?”

Ashara looked thoughtful. “I didn’t think that far ahead. I’m working on making us scarce right now. But at least try to keep yourself calm. We definitely don’t need another disturbance, especially with that dark sider here.”

She shivered. “The tie pilot, right?”

Ashara nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. “A commotion that the tie fighter caused is bound to get the government’s attention. We need to keep them from getting involved, otherwise…” she swallowed. “People could die.”

“Wouldn’t it be best to get some help?” Summer asked.

Ashara shook her head. “I already thought about that. You’re the help.”

“ _ Me? _ ” Summer immediately protested. “But I-”

“You are perfect for the job.” Ashara pointed out. “You already know a lot of theory about the Jedi and the Force. That theory just needs to be directed. With a bit of training, and…” Ashara eyed her bony elbows. “Ah...physical activity, you could definitely grasp the basics.”

Summer sighed. “Oh, alright. I doubt that will happen overnight, though.”

“Which is why you will let me lead.” Ashara ordered, turning the steering wheel sharply. “I think I know where we’re going now.”

“Great.” Alice said from the back. “I feel so safe now that we’re with Miss Jedi over here.” She waved a hand over her father’s face. Her father appeared to be in deep contemplation. 

“I am glad you feel that way.” Ashara answered. “Many things are about to happen, and all of us are about to be apart of it.”

She pulled into the parking lot.

“We’re at the Police Station.” Summer observed.

“Yes.” Ashara answered, putting on the breaks. 

“Well.” Alice sighed. “I guess I’m going home. My parents are going to be worried.” 

No one heard her.


	4. The First Confrontation

Waiting, Summer reflected, was a dangerous game. Like when she’d nearly compromised their position at the police station simply by projecting large amounts of a feeling of anxiety. Or like now, when the first rays peeked over the housetops, signalling the end to the longest night of her life.

Ashara, after managing to mislead that tie fighter to another location, had provided undeniable evidence about her outlandish tale. At one point Summer believed that the officer, a stereotypically stern man with a well-kept toothbrush moustache, would pop when the fighter had flown right past the window. After that, the police had cooperated in providing transport for her father and Alice (despite their protests), and keeping as many citizens of Earth away from the situation as they possibly could. It hadn’t stopped a video of the destruction of their car from leaking onto the internet, but Summer supposed there was only so much they could do. It didn’t stop her from becoming annoyed. Didn’t these people know that they were only making this worse? They were dealing with something they’d never seen before! And yet, only a select few were acting like the intelligent beings they claimed to be. 

_ “Be patient.”  _ Ashara had told her.  _ “The truth will come out when the world has managed to calm itself. Radical encouragement will only inflame the situation.” _

“Be patient.” she grumbled to herself. She’d been patient about a lot of things, but that didn’t stop the fact that seven billion people were in danger, or that a lot more would be compromised if the so-called  _ situation  _ wasn’t dealt with soon.

Ashara looked up from concentrating on the steering wheel. “You’re putting too much on your shoulders, Summer. Stop expecting so much from yourself.”

Summer just stared out the window.

“That’s not going to work, Summer.” Ashara sighed. “I know you blame yourself, but you had no way of knowing that behaving like an ordinary teenager would bring a Sith Inquisitor here.”

“Really?” she bit back. “Even after all the lengths I go to  _ not  _ be like an ordinary teenager? I’m a Geek! No offense to everyone else, but I could never be what the world expects everyone to be, and-”

Something was on the edge of her consciousness, a tendril of curiosity, partially recoiling. Against her stubborn judgement, she decided to admit that tendril, like the opening of a door. 

Ashara was willing to listen, she realized, but she was unwilling to allow her to keep such a train of thought. It could lead to the dark side.

“As enticing as those film-makers make the dark side appear, Summer, I doubt you want to become someone so unethical.”

Summer hung her head “No.” she whispered. “I don’t.” She curled into herself. She stared out the window and relished the momentary glimpse she was given of some distant building before the imaged was whisked away, out of her range of sight. She reminded herself over and over again that she would stay strong, so many times that she believed it herself. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going, yet?” Ashara had been unusually quiet on that subject ever since she started driving.

“Home.” Ashara answered, her voice holding a bit of emotion.

They had driven well past her house. Summer opened her mouth to ask what she meant, before realizing exactly what she was talking about. 

“What, now?!” she panicked. “I can’t leave now! I haven’t even said goodbye!” Ashara gave her a look, prompting her to calm down. 

“If anyone is associated with you from now on, they will be put in danger. Do you want that?”

Summer felt a weight crush into her chest. “Oh,” she mumbled, slouching further into her seat. “Well...how are we going to get there?” she asked.

“I’ve been attempting to equip a way back on the freighter I arrived in since I was eight.” Ashara responded, her eyes still on the road. “It’s nearly finished, but I’m going to have to keep myself from repairing some of the other things to get you away from here as soon as possible.”

“What sorts of things?” Summer asked.

“Well…” Ashara winced. “The ship might end up crashing once you arrive…”

“Might?”

Ashara looked guilty. “Will, actually.”

“Gee…” Summer muttered. “Some escape.”

“But…” Ashara looked excited about this part. “I can control where you crash!”

An eyebrow rose onto Summer’s forehead (a trick that she took extreme pleasure in), and she shook her head. “Yeah…as long as you’re not making me crash on Manaan.”

The Jedi laughed. “You live on a planet covered in water! Why would you be afraid of it?”

“Um, have you seen pictures of planes that have crashed into the ocean?”

They bantered back and forth like this for a while, finally deciding that yes, Summer would

crash, and it would probably be a good idea to control her crash to a system that was friendly towards the Jedi.

After driving for half the morning, and picking up a quick breakfast (they’d received several odd looks, as Summer was  _ still  _ wearing her dress from the previous night), Ashara finally announced “We’re here!”

Eagerly, Summer looked out the window, expecting to see some brilliant and awesome Sci-Fi tech cleverly disguising itself...and found herself looking at some fallen-apart warehouse. Or maybe the brilliant and awesome Sci-Fi tech was cleverly disguising itself as the warehouse. Who knew?

“Isn’t that a bit cliche?” she asked. “Abandoned warehouses are practically the stereotype of stereotypes to hide a spaceship.”

“No one has found it suspicious before.” Ashara pointed out, looking at the warehouse, no doubt recalling some mischievous memory. 

Summer shrugged. “Whatever works, I suppose.” she commented. She suddenly spotted her mother’s car, and her face lit up. “C’mon!”

But when she started forward, Ashara grabbed her arm. “Wait…” she put her finger to her lips. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything about anyone finding it suspicious before. Something’s not right…”

“Huh?”

“Reach out, Summer, with the Force.” Ashara ordered, her voice a whisper.

“But...but I don’t know how!” she whispered back. “And why do  _ I  _ need to reach out? What is it supposed to do?”

The Jedi closed her eyes. “You can do it, Summer. You may not have had training, but you have some knowledge on how the Force works. Use that.”

Summer wanted to ask more, but Ashara had already kneeled on the ground, her arms stretched out towards the warehouse.

“Right,” she said to herself. “Let’s do...whatever it is we’re doing.”

She felt silly, but she closed her eyes, and  _ focused. _ And she saw it. It trickled into her like a river into the ocean, filling her with hope. It blazed into her heart until it was all she could focus on. The universe was beautiful, and terrible, and just so downright  _ amazing _ , and she was terrified. And now the only chance to save this feeling, this wonderful, brilliant,  _ thing  _ that she didn’t understand, was cloaked in darkness. 

A cry escaped past her lips, but did not make it past the gloved hand that covered her mouth.

“I’m sorry, Summer.” Ashara whispered somewhere to her left. “I misjudged how much you’d feel it after so long.”

“I-I”

“Calm yourself.” she ordered. “Focus.”

She snapped her eyes open, eyes immediately landing on the disfigured, rust-colored roof. “No!” she whispered, dashing forward.

Ashara whisper-yelled after her “Summer! Stop!” but she didn’t listen. All she could think of the pain and suffering that had touched her heart. She dodged her former teacher’s attempt to grab her arm, blindly running to where her heart told her to go. She didn’t know when she entered the warehouse, when she had suddenly made it past a flight of rusty iron stairs. All she saw was a blur, as if she were running straight down a tunnel, and at the end was the room she just  _ knew _ had something horrible in it. Her instincts were found to be right when she spotted the glow of a lightsaber. That glow had illuminated the room in the color of fire.

_ ‘Summer!’  _ she could feel Ashara panicking, but it was too late for her.

“I knew you would be drawn here.” 

The voice was cold, monotone. She had heard the voices of Sith Lords in the movies, but the real thing could never do them justice after she heard these words. 

She attempted to maintain her calm, but she couldn’t ignore the icy chill of a mind brushing against her own. 

The Sith Lord, as she should have suspected, ignored her question. However, he did step forward. She examined the billowing blackness his robes, not sure where they ended. They must have ended somewhere, because she could hear them brush across the rotted and creaking floor as he walked.

Despite the vulgarity of these facts, the most disturbing part of the Sith was his face. Scars marred every bit of it, clustered together on his cheek, under and on top of his nose. It was as if someone had taken a knife and made a point to carve something on every square inch of it. From under these scars, a gaze of malice and contempt stared at the world in all it’s yellow-eyed glory. Her instincts were haywire, telling her of the hunger and lust for power that he had been projecting ever since that gaze had landed on her.

Subconsciously, she registered the fact that he had two tendrils--Lekku--protruding from his head, and identified him as a twi’lek.

It took her a while to find her voice, and she kept expecting the Sith to speak before her in that same, chilling voice.

“H-how did you-” she started, but the Sith Lord didn’t want to hear it, grabbing someone out of the shadows.

“Oi! Put me down! This is-” Summer was too shocked to move.

“Hartthorn” she asked. “Is that you?”

“Of course it’s me!” The adolescent teen looked annoyed, as if the glaring red tool of destruction being held at his neck didn’t bother him. “Is this some kind of trick? Did you hire some digital animator to-”

A warning from the Force told Summer it would be best not to allow Ian to finish that sentence. If Ian spoke about Star Wars in front of the Sith at this moment, there would be no New Republic.

“Put him down,” she ordered the Sith, though her words came out shakily. “I cannot allow you to hurt a civilian.”

Those blazing eyes stared at her coolly. “Indeed,” his words were silver-tongued, silky smooth and clever. “Your planet is unknowingly harboring a criminal. If you help me capture this...radical, I will allow him to live.”

_ ‘He doesn’t know about the movies.’ _ Summer was relieved. However,  Ashara was still in danger. 

_ ‘It’s alright, Summer.’  _ Ashara’s voice was a comfort to hear.  _ ‘I am inside. From the Dark presence I’m sensing, I’m guessing that the Sith is in there.’ _

_ ‘He has Ian Hartthorn captive.’  _ She informed her before adding out loud. “Drop the act. You’re some kind of...of...space pirate, aren’t you?” she decided to feign ignorance.

“ _ Space Pirate?!” _ Ian seemed appalled. “I thought you were the expert on-”

“Silence, fool!” the Sith snarled. The boy shut up immediately, appearing to notice for the first time the reality of his situation. “A disturbance was caused not long ago. I assume you were the source?”

“What kind of disturbance?” she asked.

The sith began to get frustrated. “Do not feign ignorance with me, girl.” he snarled. “You know, don’t you? The way you can feel it when the poor sods down the street feel oh so alone, and there is power, yes  _ great power,  _ that can make them tremble at your feet-”

“Yeah, yeah, come to the dark side, we have cookies.” Ian mumbled.

“and you feel the whispers of hatred toward yourself as you walk past your enemies. One day you could silence those words with a flick of your hand. You have the  _ Force,  _ weak one, and I can show you how to wield it.”

Summer had already known this would happen. She knew the Sith and had studied their ways in Star Wars lore just as often as she’d studied the ways of the Jedi. Making a split second decision, she began to talk.

“Congratulations.” she applauded. “I think you’d make a wonderful villain for a beautiful novel!”

“Quit trifling with me and-”

“No, really!” she grinned. “Very theatrical! But I don’t think it’s very effective here. You aren’t exactly that scary. What are you supposed to be, Voldemort? Maybe this is the time where the great Harry Potter comes in and whips your sorry behind!” she said this part a bit louder, hoping Ashara would hear.

“Summer, are you  _ insane?”  _ Ian bellowed. “Get me out of here!”

The Sith dropped Ian (promising to “deal with you later”) before advancing on her.

_ ‘Oh dear.’  _ she thought to herself.  _ ‘I may have gotten him a bit too angry.’ _

“Are you sure you wish to make an enemy of me, earthling? Because I can assure you that you will not come out of that course of action...alive.”

“Yeah, but at least dear Mr. Hartthorn will have a wonderful story to scare his grandkids with.” she replied, peeking at the startled boy behind the sith. “Really. It’s a great honor to be killed by a giant red flashlight.”

“You will regret those words.” the Sith growled, readying his lightsaber for the killing blow. “I am Sith, and you are-” his lightsaber gave a twitch, but he couldn’t move his arms. “What?”

“She will regret those words, did you say?” Ashara was calm, alert.

“ _ Miss Gallwood?”  _ Ian seemed even more bewildered.

“Of course.” the Sith turned. “Hello. Ashara Dorne, I presume. I knew you were on this planet. Thank you for walking straight to me, it makes things so much easier.”

“Yeah.” Ashara snorted. “However, I’m kind of busy here, and I have other things to do.”

Summer swept the Sith’s feet out from under him, and was relieved to find that he was a solid person, and not some phantom like her first impression of him had made her believe.

“Run, Summer!” Ashara ordered immediately. “There’s a ship. Find it. I’ve programmed it to get you to the galaxy!”

She had run to the corner of the room, eyeing the Sith as he recovered moments afterward from her surprise attack.  
“What about Ian?” she asked.

“Tell him to get out of here!” Ashara was already moving to intercept the Sith Lord.

“Fools!” he snarled, “I have been trained in the Dark Side by Lord Vader himself, and you have only the training of an initiate! You are no match for me!”

“Come on, Hartthorn.” Ashara sighed, pulling him up. “We need to run.”

She felt like she had to yank him through the doorway by the ear, but he seemed to collect himself.

“Tell me what’s going on!” he demanded. “Why is Miss Gallwood involved...and why in the world are you still wearing your dress?”

“Does this exactly seem like the time for explanations?” she sighed, gesturing to the flashing blue and red lights that were already moving steadily closer. Her pace sped up, her breathing becoming steadily smoother. She spotted the staircase. “Come on!”

Once they had made it down the stairs, she immediately set to work, closing her eyes and focusing. Ashara had taught her one thing, and she was going to use it. “Use the door, Ian.” she told him. “If you want answers, find Alice and my father.”

“Alice? But she’s”

“Look, you can either stop being a jerk and be nice to my friend, or you can live the rest of your life in ignorance.” she stopped suddenly. “Do me a favor, though.” 

“You want me to do you a favor? What, should I get you some ice cream?”

Summer groaned, glancing at the stairs and finding that the sound of the lightsabers were growing steadily closer. “If you see my family, tell them that I’m sorry.”

“What? Why? Wait, I still have questions!”

She was already gone.

“Right.” she told herself. “Ship. It should be right...here!”

She grinned when the door swung open, then was immediately put into a stupor when she saw the ship in the clearing.

It was obviously beat up,and the paint was chipped, but it was still pretty awesome considering the fact that this was the first spaceship she’d ever seen. The ship must have once been a lovely orange color before it had gotten shot down in whatever space battle it had been through. Some parts of it were new additions, sticking out of the ship like a sore thumb. The boarding ramp had been lowered for her. 

This was it. She was doing it. She was actually leaving earth. 

“Here goes.” she mumbled, glancing wistfully to where the door would be. She could escape. She’d take her family to some abandoned island, live there until it was safe again. But that wasn’t realistic. She’d never see her mother, father, or Alice again. No more half stated Italian phrases. No more spouting nerdy facts and listening to her friend laugh at her and retort with some clever remark. She touched a hand to her face and realized she was crying. Quickly, she dried the tears. She ran onto the ship, searching frantically for the cockpit.

Ashara had left a sticky note explaining which button to push to close the cockpit, and which one would trigger the course she had input into the system. She looked up from reading these instructions just in time to find that Ashara and the Sith were already in the doorway. Quickly she jammed her hand onto the button, and was awarded with a roar of anger as she was catapulted into the sky.

Then a light went out, and she leaned against the captain's chair as she felt Ashara’s life end.


	5. Beyond Earth

_ Red and blue. Azure and crimson. Dark and light. The thousand-generation old dance began again. The battle is not glorious, nor is it fulfilling. It is simply an act of desperation even though it would be interpreted as so much more. _

_ The blue one stood her ground, her blade a whirlwind, the Force whispering the tendrils of music as the steps of the dance wove around her. Dancing with her was the red one, coming closer and closer until it was too late, the final notes were played, and the blue one fell. _

_ Red and blue. Azure and crimson. Dark and light. The dance never ended. Not really. _

She didn’t know how long she sat in the cockpit, her mind numb from the wave of the Force she’d felt when Ashara had died. Summer didn’t even know if her mind was willing to accept what had happened. Now, she could only hope that she would happen upon the galaxy she was looking for, and that everything else would go as planned. Something told her it wouldn’t happen that way. She couldn’t stop thinking about how Ashara had risked everything to get her away. She knew that if she hadn’t gotten away, dozens more Force users would be able to locate the planet, but there were probably others like her. What made her so different that she had to actually leave the planet to keep everyone safe?

Many of the lights on the dashboard started flashing, and she sharply stood, swearing as she hit her head on the low ceiling. She couldn’t read most of the labels, as they were in the  _ Aurebesh  _ alphabet. While she considered herself quite a major Star Wars fan, she never had found the time to completely memorize it.

Something to her left sparked dangerously, and she swore again (she didn’t remember swearing so much in her life). The stars rushing past the ship suddenly stilled as the ship jumped out of hyperspace. There was a planet there, alright, but the ship was aimed for empty space. Vaguely remembering Ashara telling her that the ship was going to tear itself apart, she bolted out of the cockpit.

“...Escape pod!” she whispered to herself, rushing around. She was thrown against the wall at least ten times, and she must have passed the cursed thing twice before she found it, but she eventually found herself jamming her fingers frantically at the controls before slipping inside. She gave a sigh of relief as the pod sealed itself, and she felt it begin to move. Then she began to panic again as turbulence informed her that she was entering the planet’s atmosphere. She was going to crash.

The heat inside the pod began to rise significantly, causing sweat to form on her hairline and underarms. Summer was sure for a moment that she was going to catch on fire. Then there was a sound, a sickening crunch, and the momentum caused her body to jolt forward. She felt her head slam hard into the side of the pod before the entire reality around her seemed to flicker and become blurry. The air became shallow and she  _ knew  _ that the only thing she could really do about her situation was lapse into unconsciousness.

Before this happened, she had enough time to groan into her hands. “The Force is definitely  _ not  _ with me.”

 

Ian was just beginning to realize that the situation he had found himself in was serious, as strange and maddening as it seemed to him. He thought back to the last night. Originally, he had thought that Summer had pushed him into the wall after a moment of not paying attention. Now, the idea that she had done this without even touching him didn’t seem as ridiculous an explanation as it normally would be. The lump on his head throbbed as he thought about being suddenly taken.

This creature, straight out of a classic Sci-Fi film, had suddenly taken him from his parent’s medicinal care and threatened him with a giant red glow rod. He suddenly was glad that he hadn’t said anything important. As much as he hated Summer for making a hot girl like Alice suddenly break up with him, there was an urgency in her eyes that he couldn’t ignore.

Now she’d passed that urgency onto him. For some reason, it was worth the death of a Jedi to get Summer off of Earth. He doubted that Miss Gallwood--Ashara--would have done it otherwise. The only problem now was the fact that there now was a Sith Lord running around the planet, and if he found out what secrets they hid, more lives would be at risk.

He knew what he had to do, but he didn’t know if he could stand it.

He knocked on Alice’s door.

 

Even after she opened her eyes the world seemed dark. For a moment, Summer expected her mother to call her downstairs, berating her for getting up late. Slowly she took in the dimly glowing lights and curved architecture, slowly remembering where she was. She couldn’t move her arms.

She sat up, wincing as she felt at least a dozen bruises and scratches all over her body cry out in protest. Her hands were bound by some advanced technological device. It became obvious that she had been captured. She didn’t want to think about who. If she’d been captured by imperials, she would have already failed her mission.

Right on cue, a door snapped open, and someone stepped in the room she was being held in. His face was wrapped up in a brown scarf, so all she could see was his dark eyes staring at her through the gloom.

“Up!” he snarled at her. She stared at him, surprised that she could understand him. “Come!”

“W-where-” she coughed, trying to clear her throat. “Where am I?”

The man simply glared at her, pulling her roughly to her feet. She yelped, struggling a bit, but his large frame made him stronger than her by far. “Come!”

He pulled her through the doorway, out into an alleyway. He put his mouth to something at wrist. “Gor. I have the cargo.”

The alleyway had a number of lights dotted over doorways and walls, reminding her of graffiti. 

“Where am I?” she asked the man, trying again. 

“This is Nar Shaddaa.” he explained shortly, not slowing his pace or allowing her to slow down either.

_ Nar Shaddaa… _ ”The Smuggler’s Moon?”

No answer.

Of all the places she could have ended up, Nar Shaddaa was the last place she expected. But, she supposed, the Force worked in mysterious ways.

Coming up out of the alleyway, she suddenly found herself gawking at the enormity of the place. While she’d seen animations and drawings of the place, she never could have prepared herself for the absolute  _ chaos  _ the entire planet seemed to emit.

_ There is no chaos, there is harmony. _

She thought about trying to escape the mysterious stranger leading her through the crowds swarming about the terrace, but something held her back. For whatever reason, someone had decided that she was worth capturing, and she hadn’t even done anything in this galaxy yet. She wanted to know why.

The locals kept sparing her either odd or pitying looks, but none of them seemed to mind her presence. They didn’t even look at the stranger with her, instead attempting to avoid gazing at him. They were afraid. She could feel it without even trying to look through the Force.

She was surprised when her captor suddenly pushed her through a door she hadn’t noticed him opening, and slammed it shut behind him.

She didn’t have her glasses, and her contacts were giving her a hard time, so it took a bit for her to take in the figures in the haze surrounding her.

Like her, their hands were bound. Some of them were alien (which was so cool!), and some of them looked like they hadn’t seen the outside of the room in days. 

“Um...hi?” she offered. A few of them nodded, but some of them just stood there, staring at her mournfully. “Anyone care to tell me what’s going on?”

For a moment, she thought she would get the same answer as the man who brought her here gave her, but then-

“You're in the custody of some of Jabba the Hutt’s agents, kid.” the prisoners stepped aside, making way for another woman. She was human, tall, and dark-haired. Her face had a multitude of scars and scratches. It was obvious that the others had a great amount of respect for her. “You don’t look like much, but you must have done something unusually idiotic. Most of us women aren’t thrown in with this lot.”

“I haven’t even done anything!” she protested. “I just crashed here!”

The woman’s eyes widened. “You crashed? So you’re the one that landed that old republic space pod on that gold Hutt statue.”

“I…who are you all?”

The woman’s teeth flashed in a hint of a smile. “They call me Ghedhrew. You?”

“Erm...Summer.”

“Good to meet you, kid. Do you think you’ll be good to fight?”

“Why?”

“We’re going to fight to escape.” said Ghedhrew, smirking. “We’re done being the Hutt’s slaves.”

Summer stood up, looking around at the others. The plan didn’t seem that unreasonable, now that she looked at everyone else. There were at least five wookiees around the place, a group of hardened rodians, a quiet trandoshan sitting in the corner. Ghedhrew herself looked more intimidating than all of them.

“How?”

Her smile widened. “You don’t need to concern yourself over the details. Can you fight?”

Summer sighed. “I’ve never been in a fight in my life…”  _ aside from what happened with Ian. _

Ghedhrew sighed. “Come on. I’ll show you the basics.”

“My hands are bound.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

There was no discouraging her, so Summer supposed that it would be best to go along with it. It seemed a bit of a coincidence, though, that she had almost immediately come across someone willing to teach her how to fight. Perhaps she’d been wrong earlier about the Force not being with her.

Ghedhrew was a good teacher. It was obvious that she had a natural talent, and many years of practice under her belt. She started simple with her, teaching her some basic maneuvers, which surprised her because most of them seemed to take up a lot of space in the tiny room. She showed her how to use her bound hands against an opponent. Summer had never worked herself so hard in her life, and she soon felt fatigue. Ghedhrew didn’t care about this, so she put on a brave face and pushed herself through it. 

“Good.” Ghedhrew crossed her arms, examining her as she ran through a combination she’d taught her. The woman didn’t seem to offer praises much, so Summer took what she thought was a bit of a compliment, nodding back at her teacher. “That should get you through what we need to do. None of us can afford to keep an eye on you, so you’ll be on your own once you’re out.”

Summer didn’t have a problem with that, so she nodded again. 

Ghedhrew nodded back. “Falwin!” she barked, and one of the wookiees stepped forward. “Continue running Summer through some basic combat drills. I have to inform the others of the plan.”

The wookiee let out a bark of agreement, then said something to her.

“I’m sorry. I can’t understand you.” Summer told him. “You’re Falwin, right?” 

The wookiee gave an affirmative nod, then indicated to Ghedhrew, saying something to her.

“She can sleep on the ship.” Ghedhrew said sternly. “It’s better she learns what she can right now instead of minutes before the operation.”

Falwin protested a bit more, but it was obvious that Ghedhrew wouldn’t hear it when she turned away silently and sauntered away.

Summer stared after her, feeling the grim determination wafting off of the older woman through the Force. Sighing, she went back to work. Ghedhrew was right in the fact that she should learn as much as she could in the short amount of time she had.


	6. Prisoners of Nar Shadda (Part 1)

_ “A meeting of the United Nations has been called to discuss these recent events and what courses of action…” _

_ “...and fans of the franchise have become increasingly hostile…” _

_ “...of Disney and LucasFilm have yet to comment on this predicament. However, Abrams and Lucas have released a statement…” _

_ “...another ship was spotted taking off into the sky by…” _

_ “...fatal wound was cauterized all through the hole that punctured her. There is no doubt…” _

 

“It’s all over the news.” Alice sighed. “CNN, CBS, BBC and all that. And in all these magazines too, but the information isn’t as accurate. This is what Miss Gallwood--sorry, Ashara--was afraid of.”

“I don’t care.” said Ian. “She landed us in a whole lot of trouble, whatever she was and wasn’t afraid of.”

Alice glared at him. “She did everything she could, and then she died. Are you going to keep complaining, or are you actually going to help like you promised you would?”

He smirked at her, raising his eyebrows incredulously. “And what, exactly, are  _ we _ supposed to do?”

Alice shrugged. “Find a way to get that Sith Lord off this planet without letting him know we actually have information about the future.”

“Yeah, and that’ll work out great.” said Ian. “Now that people know that Star Wars exists, how long do you think it’ll take for others to find out they have that magic Force-y thing? Summer led that Dark sider here. How do we know that more won’t come now that the Force is real?”

“You are a right ray of sunshine, Ian.” Alice sighed. “Now I remember why I didn’t like you that much.”

“I don’t like you either.”

“Come on. We have to get to school.” Alice motioned with her hand, and Ian followed her out of the living room. 

They couldn’t even begin to imagine how much things were about to change.

 

\---

 

Anyone who had ever resided in a Nar Shadaa prison was well acquainted with the smell: a mixture of exhaust, half decomposed garbage, sweat, and the excrement of several hundreds of species. It wafted through the floor grating, causing everyone to gag or (in Summer’s case) their eyes to bulge out of their sockets in an attempt to breath it in. Eventually, however, Summer grew used to it, instead focusing on the numerous bruises she had received from training. It felt to her as if she had only two hours of sleep since she’d arrived, but whenever she asked for a break, she’d just end up getting clobbered worse than usual.

“Again.” Ghedhrew ordered, her arms crossed, before she turned away to converse with one of the trandoshans. Summer wheezed and coughed as she tried to regain her breath. Falwin had knocked her flat on her back so many times she had lost count. She’d been at this training for what seemed like days, and she still hadn’t been told what Ghedhrew planned to do to get them all out. She was grateful for the distraction, however, as the only time she thought about Ashara was in her nightmares. Sometimes, she would see her alive, but twisted with the anger and hate of the Dark Side. Other times, she saw her disfigured carcass, a raven pecking at the cauterized hole where a lightsaber had run her through.

Falwin held out a hand to help her up, and she nodded gratefully. 

“Thanks.” she panted, through the word probably was lost in between her greedy breaths. Falwin kicked her down before she recovered, and she found herself on her back all over again.

Ghedhrew called over to her. “Summer, if you aren’t able to even dodge a simple maneuver like that, I swear, I will leave you behind!”

Summer sucked in an angry breath. She had been working herself down to the very bone here. What was Ghedhrew’s problem? It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t fight! Well, maybe it was, but she just needed practice! If she had more time…

When Falwin offered her another hand up, she didn’t take it this time, pushing herself up on her own. She put herself and immediately put herself on guard. This time, when Falwin kicked his feet out, she was ready. Shakily, she dodged, then circled her bound hands around Falwin’s leg. The wookiee teetered on one foot for a moment, before he fell. Summer relished in a moment of triumph.

This turned out to be a mistake. Her bound hands still were looped around Falwin’s leg, and his momentum pulled her down with him. She groaned when her head hit his foot.

“Sorry, Falwin.” she apologized, detangling herself and straightening herself out. 

“Don’t apologize.” 

Summer jumped, turning to face the older woman, who had somehow gotten closer to where the fight was. Ghedhrew smirked.

“You just beat him in a fight. It seems goading works well for you. Well done.”

Summer started. “Wait...You  _ meant  _ to get me angry?”

Ghedhrew shrugged. “Of course.”

She started mumbling to herself. “I can’t believe...so stupid...careless...lucky I didn’t project.” Images of Ian being pushed into a wall by invisible hands entered into her mind. 

“Calm down, kid.” Ghedhrew snorted. “You did well. Just make sure that you remember to extract your hands during the real fight, or you’ll be dead.”

“Al...Alright.”

Falwin had gotten enough time to recover. He roared something to Ghedhrew, who looked reluctant for a moment.

“We have only hours left. She should use them to prepare.”

The wookiee roared again. Ghedhrew let out a reluctant “ _ fine _ ,” grabbed Ghedhrew’s wrist, and pulled her to an empty spot on the floor. 

“Lie down. Sleep. That’s an order.”

“Ghedhrew?” Summer asked hesitantly as she started on the first of her orders. “Can I ask you something?” 

The woman rose her eyebrows, crossing her arms. It made the scars on her face stretch across her skin, making her look more intense than she already was. She said nothing, so Summer continued.

“Why are we all here?”

Ghedhrew’s eyebrows rose further. “We’re here because we’re enemies of the Hutts. Anything else?”

“Yes, actually. Why are we enemies of the Hutts?”

Ghedhrew shrugged. “You crashed a republic escape pod onto a much  _ beloved  _ statue of some ancient hutt. I can’t remember the name, so don’t ask.” She likely would have left it there, but Summer was still looking at her expectantly. She huffed. “Most of us are prisoners because we angered the most ‘amazing and exalted’ worms of Nar Shaddaa, and we are waiting to be shipped to Jabba the Hutt’s palace so he can decide how we will be executed. He can’t exactly use us as his slaves; we’re too dangerous.”

She sat up suddenly.  _ “Jabba the Hutt’s palace?  _ We’re going to Tatooine?”

“Lie back down!” Ghedhrew barked. “And yes, if the plan goes well, we’ll all end up on Tatooine. So once we get there, keep your head down.”

“What  _ is  _ the plan?” Summer asked.

Ghedhrew went back into her defensive stance. “Ask that again, and I’ll gut you.”

“I’d like to see you try.” Summer shot back before she could help herself.

The older woman barked out a laugh. “Don’t go issuing challenges like that to better warriors than you. But it’s good to see you’ve grown some spirit, kid. Now get some sleep. They’re going to take us to the transport soon.”

Summer sighed, and relaxed. She heard Ghedhrew’s footsteps echo across the floor, accentuated by the metal soles of her boots. Someone crouched next to her, letting out a short grumble.

“Thank you, Falwin.” she mumbled, the corners of her mouth turned up as the wookiee put a brief, comforting hand on her shoulder before pulling away. She didn’t think about the nightmares she’d inevitably have, or the odd looks she’d get from the prisoners when she came to. She simply turned on her side, and drifted away to an uneasy sleep. Then she was being shaken awake, a rough voice over her. When she grumbled, the person slapped her face harshly.

“Wake up!” someone growled. She blinked the light out of her eyes. “Huh, what?”

It was silent in the room. “Up,  _ girl,  _ or I’ll make you get up.” She realized that it was the man who had escorted her to the prison earlier. She attempted to scramble to her feet, but found that with her bound hands, this was rather tricky. She tripped over the hem of her skirt. The man rolled his eyes, grabbed her around the hips, and slung her over his shoulder. Summer wrinkled her nose as it was burrowed into the musty, dank fabric of his shirt. She turned her head to the side a bit, looking for Ghedhrew. She found her, standing calmly next to a pair of gamorrean guards. Ghedhrew did not make eye contact, but she was barely able to catch a subtle nod, the movement so minimal that Summer hardly saw it. Sighing, she resigned herself to a long journey.

When the man practically threw her into the ship, relief flooded through her veins. The door was slammed, and they were alone again. She could hear Ghedhrew muttering quietly to the rest of them, likely telling them the plan. Finally, the woman got to her.

“Stick next to me and Falwin. We’re the most valuable targets to Jabba, and it wouldn’t be good if his cronies got his hands on any of us.” the woman whispered so lowly that Summer barely heard it, but she nodded. “Remember, don’t let your opponent make you soft.” Ghedhrew whispered. “One moment of hesitation, and you’ll be dead.”

Summer sighed, thinking of what Ashara would have said to that, but didn’t remark on it. She had to be focused on getting out of there. Then she’d have to worry about getting off Tatooine…she suspected both goals were no easy feats.

Still. She was going to  _ Tatooine. _

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Most of these ideas belong to George Lucas and anyone else involved in the creation of Star Wars. I do not mean any copyright infringement, as this is a non-profit fan made story intended to be shared as fan enthusiasm. I do not gain anything from this story except my own enjoyment and learning experience. Enjoy, potential readers.


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